Philip Carrera

What is your name and your current occupation?
Philip Carrera, Animator/Digital Storyteller

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Before getting into animation, I was a third grade teacher, an advertising copywriter, architectural draftsman, and production layout artist. I managed to switch careers about every three years until I finally settled on this one.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Three big projects come to mind: (1) publishing my book: “Flash Animation: Creative Storytelling for Web and TV”.  (2) Being nominated for Best Kids Short by the Kids First Animation Festival for my first short film: “Dan Mog”:  , and (3) completing my first mini-documentary for a local  music school.

How did you become interested in animation?
I used to make my own comics when I was a kid and always wondered how Continue reading

Alan Becker

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Alan Becker, Freelance animator.

 

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
Honestly, my first job was doing animation. Maybe that’s crazy in itself.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Making Animator vs. Animation was probably the one thing that I owe my entire situation to. I made it in 2006 and submitted it to newgrounds.com, ever since then I’ve never had to actively seek animation jobs, they’ve come to me.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I’m from Ohio, and I still live here. Like I said above, I got into the animation business when Continue reading

Joe Apel

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Joe Apel, Flash Animator at Cartoon Network Studios

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I worked a variety of jobs before I finally got my break in animation. I worked at a Comic Book store at the age of 13 organizing comics. At the age of 15-17, I worked as a camera man for the school district’s cable access station. I washed dishes for a catering service. I worked at a movie theater for 10 years and worked my way up from usher, to projectionist, to Assistant Manager, to Promotions Manager.One job that I thought I would love but ended up hating was working at the Warner Bros. Studio Store in a local mall. I worked in the “gallery” area of the store mostly. I was there to inform people on what the artwork was and sell them cels, maquettes, and limited edition art. I made commission if I sold artwork and they even had a payment plan. I was terrible at the job, I loved the Warner Bros. cartoons so much and I felt it was morally wrong to persuade people into buying animation art when they only intended to come to the mall to buy a pair of jeans. I believe I only worked there for about a month.
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I storyboarded on the PBS series, WordGirl, which I find to be an educational and funny show. I created character designs for the pilot of Allen Gregory, which will premiere this fall on Fox. It was inspiring to…. Continue reading

Barry Reynolds

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What is your name and your current occupation?Barry Reynolds – Character designer/Concept/Visual development artist

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
It was pretty much feet first into animation so no tales of stitching clown shoes, yeti herding or selling doors door to door I’m afraid..

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
Being the character designer on “The Secret of Kells” was something I have to say I’m very proud of and it was great to see it get the Oscar nod – completely unexpected but a great boost to the whole crew who put their heart into making something we hoped would be worthwhile.. Also, the upcoming “Arthur Christmas” from Aardman and Sony Pictures Animation is another project I’m very happy to have been a part of – working with fantastic and fun people who made coming in to work every day a jolly experience – definitely one of the favourites so far! Others include Irish language graphic novels, “An Táin” and “Deirdre agus Mic Uisnigh” where I got to expand upon old Irish legends and bring them to a new audience in my own style of drawing…

How did you become interested in animation?
Apparently I’ve been interested in animation since seeing “The Jungle Book” at the tender age of 4 – it seems I announced my intention to draw for a living back then and apart from brief flirtations with Continue reading

Lee Ray

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Lee Ray I am currently finishing off a contract to design and visualize  props for an Endemol kids Cartoon show based on The 99 comics.

What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I was lucky to get a job in video games about 4 years after graduating in 1990. Before that I did what every student would during the holidays; shop work, Nightshift Warehouse work, even a bit of teaching anything to pay off the debt from term time.

What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
I have been lucky enough to work on video games and TV, probably The TimeSplitters series would be the most fun I had in games while so far the CBBC show HOUNDED in the U.K. Was great fun as they let me go mental with what they had on paper. The starsheep Enterprise was originally going to be a ball of wool until I showed them the sketch. They trusted me to develop the idea from then on.

How did you become interested in animation?
Technically speaking I don’t animate but the work I do does get animated. I am from that generation that was at the right age to see Star Wars when it first came out, the rest was just a case of “How do I get to do this for a living” and later on the more mature version “How much can I get paid to do this for a living”.It`s all George Lucas` Fault.

Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
Birmingham U.K. Originally now, in Nottingham ( yes it`s a real place, no we dont all talk like Kevin Costner OR Russell Crowe for that matter 😉 ). I worked at Rare ( home of Donkey Kong Country) for four years before leaving to Continue reading

Sean Petrilak

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What is your name and your current occupation?
Hello there, my name is Sean Petrilak and I am an episodic director on the show “Wabbit” at Warner Bros. Aside from animation, I am a live action storyboard artist.
What are some of the crazier jobs you had before getting into animation?
I used to be a head referee at a paintball field. I got shot at, broke up fights when tempers got flared, and shoveled heaps of paint, shells, and garbage until my back was sore. Perfect experience for animation. I don’t know if this is considered ‘crazy’, but before animation, I started working in the music industry and working with many high-end performers as a storyboard artist- still do. What I think is ‘crazy’ about it is the pace at which it moves and the politics that can cause workflow to change at a moment’s notice. I sometimes see a morning news report about a mishap with one of my clients. All you can say is, “Well there goes that job.”
What are some of your favorite projects you’re proud to have been a part of?
This sounds cheesy, but everything I worked on so far in animation has been an absolute pleasure, because I’ve been allowed to do different things on each one. “Kung Fu Panda: LOA”(the series), “Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja”, and “Wabbit”.
Where are you from and how did you get into the animation business?
I didn’t look far, that’s for sure. I grew up in an animation family. My father, Kevin, is a director, sheet timer, and character animator. My mother, Jill, is color goddess, BG and BG Key painter. My great uncle Gerry Dvorak was a baseball card illustrator who got into animation as well. No matter how hard my parents tried, I still got into animation.  I had a million Continue reading